I talked with Patriot yesterday. Here's what I found out.
The heads are cast in China. They are shipped to Patriot and x-rayed, 5 axis cnc'd and assymbled in this country by Patriot. These heads are not Pro-comp. The price is low because of the use of the newest state of the art equipment not cheap parts or short cuts. All of the high stress areas are reinforced and come with 5/8 decks. These heads are cast only for Patriot on their specs.
60 cc chambers only at this time.
No special manifold requirements.
Comes with provisions for smog and stock accessories.
2.02 valves only at this time.
Can be ordered with flat tappet springs.
Two week lead time.
These heads were designed to go racing and if demand warrents may think about street heads. Very quick response to my questions, freindly, seems like the main draw back that most could have is they cast over seas to cut cost. The good part is they pass that savings to us instead of pocketing it. They said they started having castings made because the stock heads they modified had weak castings and they would get blamed. Designing their own castings has eliminated the problem.
The heads are cast in China. They are shipped to Patriot and x-rayed, 5 axis cnc'd and assymbled in this country by Patriot. These heads are not Pro-comp. The price is low because of the use of the newest state of the art equipment not cheap parts or short cuts. All of the high stress areas are reinforced and come with 5/8 decks. These heads are cast only for Patriot on their specs.
60 cc chambers only at this time.
No special manifold requirements.
Comes with provisions for smog and stock accessories.
2.02 valves only at this time.
Can be ordered with flat tappet springs.
Two week lead time.
These heads were designed to go racing and if demand warrents may think about street heads. Very quick response to my questions, freindly, seems like the main draw back that most could have is they cast over seas to cut cost. The good part is they pass that savings to us instead of pocketing it. They said they started having castings made because the stock heads they modified had weak castings and they would get blamed. Designing their own castings has eliminated the problem.
local shops around here charge from $80-$100 per head for a regular valve job and the performance shops charge around $125 per head of course and new parts cost extra and valve guides would be extra, i assume, as well if needed.
I just had the heads on my 400m redone.
Stainless exhaust valves
hardened seats
new steel intakes
three angle valve job
shaved .008
hot tanked
magnafluxed
new springs and seals
iron valve guids
total cost $1000.00
After much shopping around this is good deal in my area. Still beat Edelbrock heads by $800.00. Installing larger valves and porting iron heads, if possible
to flow at patriots specs is going go alot more and will still be iron instead of aluminum. If comparable heads from american manufactures were only 200 bucks more I wouldn't even mentioned these heads. I see more like 500 bucks and up. That's alot of green to have made 100% in america.
Stainless exhaust valves
hardened seats
new steel intakes
three angle valve job
shaved .008
hot tanked
magnafluxed
new springs and seals
iron valve guids
total cost $1000.00
After much shopping around this is good deal in my area. Still beat Edelbrock heads by $800.00. Installing larger valves and porting iron heads, if possible
to flow at patriots specs is going go alot more and will still be iron instead of aluminum. If comparable heads from american manufactures were only 200 bucks more I wouldn't even mentioned these heads. I see more like 500 bucks and up. That's alot of green to have made 100% in america.
It's amazing what people will repeat as gospel when they get a tiny bit of 1 on 1 with a manufacturer, no matter what it is the manufacturer says. They may not pocket the extra few hundred dollars by selling at the same price as more costly heads, but I promise you they are pocketing a much higher profit margin % by buying castings that cost them next to nothing.
Also, I'm sorry, but .400 decks are NOT 5/8, somebody's lying. Also, if anyone cares, AFR decks are 3/4" thick. If any of you plan on running a supercharger, turbo, or nitrous, you want the thickest deck you can get. 5/8 should be a minimum for N/A street use.
AFR, Trick Flow, Edelbrock, Brodix, Canfield, World Products, and Ford Racing Heads are all made in the U.S. Brodix makes alot of the castings for other companies like Holley Systemax heads, etc. You can buy a set of fully assembled Ford Racing GT-40X heads for less than 1000.00....that's what, barely 100.00 difference than the "exclusively cast for us in china" patriot p.o.s.?
I've done my fair share of hot rodding, talked to a lot of speed shop owners, engine builders, professional drag racers... There is ALWAYS an additional cost for something that should be a top dollar item (heads) when you buy anything budget. I'm sorry, but there is a lot more to a good set of heads than slapping together some cheap valves and springs on a cheap casting, made to look shiny and pretty and indistinguishable to the lay enthusiast from an Edelbrock head. If I had a dollar, for every time I've seen a guy take a set of cheap chinese heads to an engine shop, and ended spending an additional $300-$400 to get decent quality valve guides, valve stem seals, springs, retainers, locks, and something better than the garbage valves they come with installed and an actual finished valve job, I would be a much richer person. If you spend $895+$300-400 for your budget aluminum heads, a $1200 set of Edelbrock's or Trick Flow Twisted Wedge's seem pretty darn reasonable after all.
When I was in high school I used to see kids walk around with "Rolox" imitation Rolex watches... They looked the part, but they always quite literally exploded in only a few days. There is an analogy here.
Red herring. The numbers you are throwing around don't apply to most, as the 400m has not been a traditional performance application. No mfg, can make enough of em to make em cheap. Windsor motors and SBCs, the numbers are completely different, and more the norm.
99% of wht you posted here is true, but to be fair, Rusty did state that the Patriot's (strange how that name was used for something foriegn made